No. 2 Reproducer Question...

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

A forum friend (a diff. forum) gave me a box of reproducers. Some need minor work (rebuild, a spring) and an Exhibition is completely ruined (the entire bakelite? back is in pieces. I did, however, find one nice Nickel No.2.

The rubber is still very pliable, and the plating is superb. Shiny as a new chrome bumper. I've heard that these do not play electrically recorded records well.....they sound just fine to me..?


My Orthophonic reproducer needs a rebuild, but, I've dismantled the two sections, and I have no idea what to do. It sounds awful, though.


So, whats the news with the No.2. What are it's limitations? Seems to play post 1920's records fine...


Thanks!

[JohnM]

The broken "Bakelite" piece on your 'Exhibition' reproducer is actually (hardened) rubber. It is called an isolator and is critical to the performance of the reproducer. Excellent replacements can be had from:
http://www.rmrmfg.com/phono.html

While a No. 2 reproducer may be phisically able to play an electrically-recorded record, it is not designed to extract all the sound energy that the groove is capable of delivering through the reproducer. Electrical records are part of a system -- an electro-mechanical equation actually -- that is designed to produce excellent bass and treble and increased loudness far beyond what earlier systems are capable of delivering. Here is a link to the first part of a six-part article I wrote several years ago for the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance website that may help you to understand some of the differences in acoustical and electrical recording and playback systems. The other chapters are accessed in the side bar menu on the left of the web page:
http://www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org/node/34

[Nat]

John, Thanks for posting the link; I'd somehow never seen your article, which was really first-rate. I'm passing the link on to some friends, who will find it as fascinating and informative as I did. Again - thanks!

Nat

[JohnM]

John, Thanks for posting the link; I'd somehow never seen your article, which was really first-rate. I'm passing the link on to some friends, who will find it as fascinating and informative as I did. Again - thanks!

Nat

Gee . . . thanks! (blush) Glad you liked it!

I'd like to add that the mica diaphragm of an 'Exhibition' or 'No. 2' and others vibrates as a membrane, while an aluminum 'Orthophonic' diaphragm is designed with the use of the spider in the center and the flexing pleats around the circumference, to pump like a piston and really move the column of air contained in the horn. The mass of that column of air is calculated to be optimum for that diaphragm to move when actuated by the record groove through the stylus bar/needle. The ratio of the distance from the tip of the needle to the stylus bar pivot, and from the pivot to the center of the diaphragm is also part of the equation. This effectively makes the 'Orthophonic' reproducer a lever transformer. No such sophisticated calculation went into the design of the earlier mica reproducers, which were designed empirically.

[estott]

A No. 2 reproducer may play some electric recordings well because (I believe) the dynamic range was throttled down somewhat on earlier electrics to make them playable on the old machines. This seems true of the electric records Victor was putting out before introducing the Orthophonic line.

[JohnM]

A No. 2 reproducer may play some electric recordings well because (I believe) the dynamic ranges was throttled down somewhat on earlier electrics to make them playable on the old machines. This seems true of the electric records Victor was putting out before introducing the Orthophonic line.

That's an interesting supposition!

[Henry]

At this point it might be helpful to read Paul Edie's article: http://www.victor-victrola.com/Soundbox%20Article.htm.
Note especially the graphs for frequency response of the Exhibition and the no. 2.

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

Thanks for all the repies guys! I found that article quite interesting as well. That photo of an entire band/orchestra playing into a horn blew my mind. I didn't think it worked quite like that. Crazy!






Honestly, my No.2 plays 78's right up into the 40's quite well.


How would I go about rebuilding my Orthophonic?

[OrthoFan]

...How would I go about rebuilding my Orthophonic?

I guess it depends on how thorough you want to be, i.e., a complete overhaul or simply changing out the ball bearings and replacing the rubber throat gasket.

You might want to take a look at this, for starters -- http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 31&start=0

[OrthoFan]

I just spotted this interesting video of a #2 sound box coupled to a folded Granada horn, via a vacuum cleaner hose:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1GKBsVxEwQ[/youtube]

Based on the comments on YouTube, the original rubber gaskets had been replaced with foam rubber. To my ears, it sounds quite good, in spite of the distortion that the non-tapering hose, itself, would/should add to the reproduction.